Build Your Own BuddyPress Plugin with the Newly Updated BuddyPress Skeleton Component

There’s good news for BuddyPress plugin developers this week! The BuddyPress Skeleton Component has been revamped and updated to be compatible with BuddyPress 1.5.

What is the BuddyPress Skeleton Component?

The skeleton component is the bare bones of a basic BuddyPress component, packaged as a plugin. Although it’s listed as a plugin in the WordPress repository, it doesn’t have any specific function on its own. The skeleton component is more of a tool for getting you started on creating your own component. It makes it easy for you to get your component:

• Registering activity stream items
• Posting notifications
• Setting up widgets
• Adding AJAX functionality
• Structuring your component in a standardized way

The new BP_Component class is included in the updated skeleton component, making it easy to register globals, create navigation items, and hook into the BP load order. Version 1.6 also has an updated file structure to better match BuddyPress 1.5. Data storage now resides in custom post types instead of custom database tables and the skeleton has been updated to reflect this change. You’ll also be glad to know that it comes with tons of documentation. Read Boone’s announcement on the update for more information. Download the latest version of the BuddyPress Skeleton Component today for your weekend coding enjoyment!